Meme: The Friday Five: 26 Nov 21

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

1) Who is your favorite relative?

The only one I speak to is my sister. The rest are dead or voted for Trump.

2) What's the farthest you've traveled for a family gathering?

I used to drive the trek from Washington DC to Jackson Mississippi regularly. It's about 1000 miles and takes about 14 and a half hours. I used to do in a straight stretch (only stops for gas/petrol). I think I was a trucker in a past life.

3) Will you/when will you put up decorations for December holidays?

I will get the Christmas box out tomorrow (27 Nov) and put them up. I think I'm unusual in that I pack things up very quickly after Christmas (usually 26 or 27 Dec). Once it's over, it's over. And I grew up thinking it was bad luck to leave them up after New Year's.

4) What were you thankful for this week?

I had parent-teacher conferences this week with Minisculus' and Minor's teachers and I was thankful for how many nice things Minisculus' teacher had to say about him. She really loves my kid!

I was also thankful I finished the 5k upright and in a reasonable time (for me) without pain.

5) What is your hometown known for?

An annual festival celebrating okra (the vegetable)

Comments

[smallhobbit]

That's an interesting festival for your hometown.

I shall do this one at some point.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Yes, it's unusual. First weekend in October.

[peasina]

Wow an okra festival sounds like a dream! And my goodness, 14 hours in a veichle... I'm wilting just thinking about it. That's amazing.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

It is an interesting vegetable to celebrate on a large scale :)

I don't do that run anymore. But I used to find long drives restful.

[bethctg]

Congrats on your 5k!

And since you like long-distance driving, you can come visit me someday! THINK OF ALL THE VIDEOS WE COULD WATCH.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Thank you! I have been working towards it for months and am happy with the result.

Ah! I could totally make it up there. And we probably wouldn't sleep. Just sing Moon on repeat for days and days. I am recently obsessed with the video of them in the little karaoke box singing each other's songs.

[write_out]

I highly recommend making that drive! I once spent a weekend with Silsbee and it was The Best. We ate a lot of cookies and watched a lot of fun tv. :)

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

That does sound like a lot of fun!

[write_out]

Congrats on the 5k!! That is super impressive! That's long been one of my goals, so I'm always happy to hear when others succeed at it.

I've always liked long drives too. They can be relaxing!

How often do you see your sister? Do you live near each other?

That's awesome about the conference; I'm happy he has a good teacher!

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Thank you! I have been training for a couple of months, and I am pleased with the result.

Yes, they can.

I talk to my sister on the phone once a week. I haven't seen her in person in about four years. She's okay but I don't really feel the need to see her or the lack of not seeing her. After about 30 minutes on the phone, we're good.

Yes, I was surprised at how much she gushed about him. But pleased, of course. One less thing to worry about.

[dr_zook]

Okraaaaa! ♥ Your hometown sounds like a place I should visit one day. :D

Thank you for reminding to put up the Christmas decoration tomorrow at the workshop. It's my favourite time of the year, we have a nice candle arch in the window that (hopefully) draws in clients. ;)

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Yeah, they have a parade and throw pods of it from floats. They do, however, sell the best fried okra ever made.

Oh, sounds very pretty! I have a Santa that climbs up and down a tiny ladder.

[firecat]

If you were a trucker in a past life (I'm a trucker in an alternate universe...adjacent to the alternate universe where I raise sled dogs in Alaska), you might like these:

Uncommon Carriers by John McPhee (amazon link) — I apologize if I have recommended this before, I recommend it a lot. It's got a chapter about a trucker and chapters about various other ways that goods get transported.

The Long Haul: A Trucker's Tales of Life on the Road by Finn Murphy (audible.com link). This guy is kind of full of himself, but if you don't mind that, it's an interesting narrative.

I grew up thinking it was bad luck to leave them up after New Year's.

I think we must have come from similar cultural backgrounds. I never heard it put as "bad luck" exactly but I've always felt it was just Wrong™ to leave them up past New Year's.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Ah, that's a fun set of alternate universes!

I did read a chapter of Uncommon Waters about getting a long boat up the Mississippi. It was good.

Yeah, growing up I knew of a family that just threw a sheet over their Christmas tree and kept it up all year. They were sort of considered like the Addams Family because of that.

[debriswoman]

Okra festival is a new one on me:-) Interesting details.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

:)